Indianapolis soccer and why it matters

From Indy Eleven to the Guinness Cup, 'football' is here to stay

Jul. 30, 2013

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Indianapolis has many opportunities for adults to play soccer, including these two players who were competing in the fourth annual Mayor's Latino Soccer Cup in 2012. Visit www.soccerindiana.org for more information. / Doug McSchooler / For The Star

I hate to break it to you Colts fans, but in the rest of the world, football isn’t played with pigskin and Andrew Luck isn’t a household name.

Soccer — you know, the game where players actually kick the ball with their feet — is known as football. Will Hoosiers, or any Americans for that matter, ever take to calling it as such? It’s doubtful, considering the National Football League officially laid claim to American “football” in 1920. However, with national interest growing for soccer, the world’s most popular sport, there’s bound to be some confusion on the matter.

“Part of me wants to participate with the rest of the world and say ‘football,’ but here you get looked at so sideways and it confuses people, so I tend to go with soccer so everyone is clear,” said Christine Johnson, 35, a novelist and die-hard Manchester United fan.

Will Pfaffenberger, 31, United Soccer Alliance of Indiana director and producer at The Smiley Morning Show on WZPL-FM (99.5), flips back and forth on the phrase.

“It depends on whom I’m talking to. If it’s a European or South American friend, I’ll say football, if it’s someone who isn’t savvy, I’ll call it soccer,” he said.

We asked Johnson and Pfaffenberger, along with a few other Central Indiana football fanatics, what they love about the game. And it isn’t just its international appeal or the players’ physiques. From homegrown Hoosiers on Olympic teams to Indianapolis’ new North American Soccer League team, here are 11 reasons why Central Indiana gets a kick out of soccer.

Oh, and in the spirit of the Guinness International Champions Cup: Chelsea FC vs. Inter Milan at Lucas Oil Stadium on Aug. 1, I’ll refer to American soccer as football for the remainder of this story. Who knows, maybe it will catch on someday.

Indy Eleven

Earlier this year, Indianapolis announced a new second-division soccer team. Indy Eleven will play in the North American Soccer League beginning with the 2014 season.

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Pfaffenberger, who lives in Avon and has bought an Indy Eleven season ticket, said he thinks it’s cool that the sport is becoming more popular.

“We talk about this a lot at the youth club. When we, the 20- and 30-something coaches were younger, it was just our dads teaching us. There weren’t many local leagues,” he said.

Brickyard Battalion

What started as a small Facebook group of Indy Eleven fans is now an organization with more than 1,500 members who will tailgate together, create chants and taunt the opposing team from the cheap seats behind one of the goals. As the official supporter group for Indy Eleven, Brickyard Battalion is dedicated to maintaining a safe and inspiring environment for Indy Eleven fans.

Josh Mason, 35, Carmel, is the Brickyard Battalion’s secretary and co-founder. He said their plan is to have a group that supports the team in a positive way.

“Maybe it’s because I’m older and I have kids I want to bring to the games, but we don’t want chants with curse words — these are the things as a supporter group, we consider,” he said.

Soccer pubs

When discussing football culture, one would be remiss not to mention the local pubs known as the best places to watch a match outside of a stadium or living room. Our football fanatics report the Union Jack Pub, 924 Broad Ripple Ave., and Chatham Tap, which has locations in Indianapolis and Fishers, as the preferred establishments to kick back with a pint and watch footy on the telly.

Chants and cheers

Have you ever heard the song “Keep the Blue Flag Flying High”? What about the lyrics, “N’Diayeeeee will always love youuuuuu”? Chants are about as important to football culture as the players themselves.

“Every team has a song they sing about the team or a player. We (the Brickyard Battalion) would like to see that happen for Indianapolis,” Mason said.

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Lauren Cheney

An Indianapolis native and Ben Davis High graduate, Lauren Cheney started in six FIFA Women’s World Cup games in 2011. The U.S. Olympic women’s soccer team gold medalist currently plays for FC Kansas City in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Mayor's into the game

Another factor giving local football a little swagger, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard is solidly behind the game. The Mayor’s Latino Soccer Cup, with divisions for children and adults, is in its fifth year and will be played Aug. 3-4 at Northwestway Park.

Eriq and Carlos Zavaleta

Eriq Zavaleta, a Westfield native, is a forward and defender for the Seattle Sounders Football Club of Major League Soccer. Zavaleta was a star player for Indiana University, and his father, Carlos, played professionally in the United States and El Salvador. He’s the president of the Indiana Soccer Academy in Westfield.

Speaking of Westfield, local football/soccer fans and families in the know can’t wait to play at the 350-acre Grand Park sports campus. Slated to open in 2014, it features 31 soccer fields.

Slang speech

Association football opens up a whole new arsenal of fun words and phrases, such as pitch (the field), kit (jerseys), and booked (receiving a red or yellow card). Try it in a sentence, like, “I hope I don’t get booked taking my kit off out on the pitch.”

The players are in form

Speaking of slang, “in form” is another way to say fit. Football players work hard on their fitness and have the bodies to prove it. H&M didn’t partner with David Beckham on an underwear line for nothing ... take a look at those and try not to get distracted. I’m sorry, what were we talking about again?

Football movies

From films like “Green Street Hooligans” and “The Damned United” to “Ladybugs,” “Bend It Like Beckham,” and “The Big Green,” football films hold a special place in the hearts of fans and movie buffs alike.

Child's play

Between recreational, club and travel teams, outdoor and indoor leagues, more than 60,000 children hit Indiana fields each year, according to the Indiana Youth Soccer Association.

Adult rec leagues

Your chance to play in the World Cup may have passed you by, but there’s no reason you can’t get out on the field and still kick it around a little. Indiana offers a number of adult leagues for men and women. Visit www.soccerindiana.org for more information.

Rob Koeller, 42, is the assistant dean at the Chef’s Academy and plays on indoor and outdoor leagues in Indianapolis. He began playing at just 5 years old but said he lost interest during his college years.

“At Purdue, it was just a club sport. I ended up playing club, but I didn’t really feel interested in it again until after college,” Koeller said.

Hooliganism (hear me out)

While I certainly don’t condone violence, there’s something to be said about the passion behind football hooligans. You’re willing to brawl, vandalize and riot for your team? It’s hard enough these days to get sports fans to get together and do the wave.